A Cup Of Coffee
by nessii31
Summary: How one cup of coffee can affect two people. Gelphie, complete, Booksical.


"Elphie, could you get me a coffee from the cafeteria?"  
Bemused the green girl put the book she had been reading down and looked at her roommate.  
"And why exactly would I do this?" she questioned slightly amused.  
"Because I'm learning for my sorcery test tomorrow and you're a friend who wants to help me?" Glinda suggested, flashing her most charming smile.  
Elphaba seemed to think about it shortly. But instead of giving a smart retort - as Glinda had expected her to - she shrugged, put her book on her night table and went out of the room, supposedly to get the drink for her blonde roommate. When the door closed Glinda looked after the green girl flabbergasted. She had meant it as a joke, a little fun to lighten the mood and get a breather from all the spells she still had to learn. All the more surprised she now gazed at the closed door.  
'Well, who am I to understand my roommate?' she finally shrugged internally and focused back on her book. A short time later Elphaba came back and really held a cup of coffee in her hand. She put it next to Glinda and turned to get back on her bed when the blonde stopped her.  
"Where's the sugar?" the question was uttered before Glinda really had thought about it.  
"I didn't bring any," Elphaba simply answered. But, instead of flinging herself on her bed again, she turned and went out of the room a second time. When she returned she just put three sugar cubes on the saucer of Glinda's cup and finally went back to reading.  
The blonde looked at the coffee dumbfounded. Had her roommate really gone back just to get some sugar? And had she indeed done so without one single complaint or witty remark? Glinda's curiosity was awoken. She had to find out what else she could make her roommate do. And so she did.

Only one week later Glinda was making good progress with her "Elphaba studies". And she was more than surprised as to what she found out. Elphaba did practically everything Glinda asked of her. She cleaned their room, brought food and drinks, proofread all of the blonde's homework and even corrected the mistakes.  
In the beginning Elphaba had questioned each request but even then she had never denied her roommate anything. Meanwhile she did what she was asked at once, interrupting whatever she did at the moment. It was strange but she never complained so Glinda figured their new living arrangements were okay for Elphaba.  
However, Glinda herself noticed how the little tasks for her roommate affected her. Every time Elphaba brought her a cup of coffee she looked at the blonde with a loving gaze; at least that was how Glinda perceived it. She saw such affection and care in those brown orbs she couldn't help but be captivated by them. She managed to return a thankful gaze but always felt like she must seem haughty to Elphaba.  
Furthermore, she was afraid: of Elphaba's reaction; of herself. Didn't she kind of insult and humiliate her roommate? Didn't she treat her like a servant? How could she do something like this? On the one hand Glinda knew why she did it: Seeing those feelings in Elphaba's eyes affected her on a deep emotional level. Still she was aware she had to end it; it was the only sensible thing to do. But she was sure she wouldn't be able to stop herself, she needed Elphaba to do it.  
That's why Glinda decided to go one step further - or as she hoped one step too far. If she went over the green girl's limits she would surely tell Glinda off and then they could go back to their normal everyday life. With this in mind the blonde set her plan.

The next evening they both lay on their respective beds, Elphaba reading some tome about life sciences while Glinda browsed through a fashion magazine, both still fully dressed. Suddenly the blonde got up from her bed.  
"I'll go to sleep," she announced. Elphaba just looked up from her book and nodded in acknowledgement.  
"Help me undress; I'm too tired to unzip this myself," Glinda demanded and waited for a response. She saw how her roomie's eyes grew wide and her cheeks turned a treacherous deep green - she was blushing.  
Glinda saw the new color on her roommate's face and at once knew she was lost. Instantly she adored this sight of a flustered and embarrassed Elphaba. She wished that Elphaba started yelling; she wished that Elphaba started undressing her and the worst part was: she didn't know what she wished for the most. All the happier she was when her roommate relieved her of the decision.  
Hesitantly and nearly reluctantly the green girl put her tome aside and went to her roommate. The blonde turned around and lifted her hair with one hand to allow access to the zipper while holding onto the front of her dress with the other hand. She heard the breath behind her becoming flat and hasty. Suddenly she felt cold fingers between her shoulders and shivered. Trembling, hesitantly and painfully slowly they pulled the zipper down, revealing her naked shoulders and the backside of her corset to the girl behind her. When the zipper was at her pelvis the feeling of shaking fingers disappeared.  
Glinda turned around and wanted to see her roommates face but the green girl had already hurried back to her bed. The moment she took her book to hide behind it Glinda was able to catch a glimpse of the deep forest green Elphaba's whole face was showing along with the look of deep embarrassment in her brown eyes. But she could see something else, if she wasn't mistaken it looked like... contentment? Did Elphaba like what the blonde made her do?  
Glinda felt an unknown surge arise in her chest. She realized at once she would never be able to go on living without seeing that deep shade of green and look of embarrassment again. She had fallen for those features before she even knew it. All plans of ending their little game were suddenly forgotten. Finally she tore her gaze away from Elphaba and went to the bathroom, preparing for the night. Afterwards she went to a sleep filled with forest green dreams.

Of course Glinda had to repeat the experiment in the morning. She went into the bathroom for her morning routine. When she came out again she wore nothing but a towel around her body. She put on a slip and just wanted to tie up her corset when she decided that today her roommate would do a little more than just operate a zipper. So the blonde loosely put the corset around her body, her back facing Elphaba and she turned her head to the green girl who was already fully dressed and sat on her bed reading.  
"Elphie. Tie up my corset," Glinda simply demanded and her roommate put her book away instantly to go to the blonde. Glinda looked over her shoulder to watch the green fingers gently pulling the strings of the corset tighter working from the outside going inwards. Elphaba's gaze was locked on the task before her but still Glinda could see the beautiful shade of dark green on the other girl's face. It was accompanied by a look between hesitancy, embarrassment and another, deeper emotion that Glinda couldn't quite figure out. Also a small smile was visible in the green features.  
Finally Elphaba was pulling at the strings in the middle of the corset and made a loop. When she was ready she wanted to get away but Glinda had other ideas.  
"Wait!" she simply said and Elphaba stopped in her tracks, looking at Glinda quizzically.  
"Take the dress from my bed and help me put it on."  
Elphaba nodded silently and turned around to get the dress while another light smile made its way on her face. She took the dress and put it over her roommate, helping her to get her arms into the sleeves and finally she was once again standing behind the blonde, zipping up the dress. Once more Elphaba tried to get away and again Glinda only had to say "Wait!" to make her stop.  
"I need shoes too and socks. Get the pink slippers; they're at the bottom right of the shoe shelf. And socks are at the second drawer to the left."  
Elphaba hurried to get the aforementioned items and got back to Glinda standing in front of her slightly clueless as to what to do.  
"What are you waiting for? Put them on already!" Glinda demanded trying to seem haughty. Contently she saw how Elphaba's blush deepened slightly while the green girl knelt down. The blonde gracefully raised one foot and gentle green fingers slipped one stocking up to the knee before putting on a pink slipper. The same procedure was repeated on the other foot.  
Finally Glinda was fully dressed and Elphaba stood up again. In contrast to before she didn't try to get away but simply stood in front of Glinda, shuffling with her feet and looking at the ground.  
"Do you... do you need anything else?" Her voice was timid and quiet, two features Glinda had never heard of her usually self-confident roommate. It also was accompanied by a shy smile that Glinda simply found adorable. Still she was surprised that Elphaba had spoken at all. Until then she had done all tasks completely silent.  
"No, that's all for now," the blonde managed to answer with a poised tone. Of course she couldn't let Elphaba know how much the simple question had affected her. With a short nod the green girl went back to her bed to read some more.  
Meanwhile Glinda knew she wouldn't be able to stop this. As much as she wanted to go back to their former behavior she had known the moment she had seen that blush she had been lost. Even before, when Elphaba had just brought her coffee or sweets she had already adored the gaze in the green girl's eyes.  
It seemed like she lov- 'No!' Glinda reprimanded herself. She didn't love Elphaba and her roommate didn't love the blonde socialite. She was just plain lazy and liked ordering the obedient green girl around, there was nothing more to it. She nearly managed to convince herself but a small part deep inside her voiced its doubts nevertheless.

They settled into some weird kind of routine. Outside of their room they would behave as usual, Glinda being the socialite and Elphaba as the harsh outsider. But the moment both of them were in their room things changed. Then it was Glinda's time to decide what the two of them would do.  
More often than not Elphaba was send to get food and drinks from the cafeteria, dress and undress her roommate and of course help with most of the homework.  
After a while Glinda realized something was missing. Elphaba still smiled her gentle smile every time she brought Glinda something the blonde had asked for and she still didn't deny her blonde roommate anything. So what was it?  
One evening when both of them sat on their respective beds reading the blonde suddenly had an epiphany: the blush! Elphaba was used to being ordered around by now and didn't show that beautiful shade of dark green anymore. But how could Glinda change this? She thought hard about how to make it reappear.  
Abruptly the blonde stood up book in hands and went over to her roommate. Elphaba looked up at her roommate expectantly already putting her book away because she was sure she wouldn't be able to read on. As usual she had lain jack-knifed on her bed.  
"Sit up," Glinda simply ordered and her roommate complied immediately.  
"Spread your legs." This command was followed with some hesitancy and: the blush. Glinda was hardly able to contain herself when the forest green reappeared on her roommate's delicate features. She took a while to take in the sight - Elphaba sitting before her with her legs spread widely, a blush and a look of embarrassment on her face. Finally the blonde sat down between the two green legs, using her roommate as a cushion. Then Glinda took the green arms and pulled them around her midriff.  
"Hold on. I feel cold in my bed and I don't like it," she explained curtly and went on reading.  
A pleasant feeling settled inside her when she felt Elphaba pulling her closer. Glinda felt unbelievably safe in her roommate's arms - not that she would ever admit that. She sighed contently before she snuggled into the embrace and went on reading.  
Elphaba was in her own personal heaven as well. Glinda was lying in her arms obviously enjoying their proximity. The green girl could hardly believe that the most popular girl from all of Shiz was really here on the outsider's bed reading peacefully. She cherished every second she had with the blonde so close to her. For Elphaba it felt like she guarded Glinda from everything outside of their room and she loved feeling that way.  
They spend most of their evenings in that position. Elphaba sitting behind a reading Glinda embracing the blonde and protecting her from the rest of the world. Now Glinda knew she wasn't just addicted to the green blush - she was addicted to Elphaba as a whole. Just being able to sit that close to the green girl was like heaven for the blonde.  
The little voice she had been able to silence before now grew louder, pointing out the deep feelings Glinda had for her roommate. But the blonde didn't want to accept it. She was sure that Elphaba didn't feel the same so what good would it do to be in love?  
They continued their unusual behavior and the voice inside of Glinda kept nagging, becoming louder and more insistent every time. Finally, after two weeks, Glinda decided she had to find a way to silence it. She had to prove to herself that she just used the green girl as a servant or a cushion; that she was no one important to the blonde socialite and surely no one she loved.

And one evening - just before she made her usual stride over to Elphaba's bed - she had an idea how to accomplish that objective.  
"Elphie," she simply said and the green girl looked up with a questioning gaze, putting the ever-present book in her hands on her night table.  
"Strip naked," Glinda simply commanded. Elphaba's eyes went wide when she heard her roommate.  
"Glinda?" she barely managed to choke out, unable to form a coherent sentence.  
"What?" the blonde simply asked.  
"Wh... Why?" Elphaba asked timidly her face already showing the beautiful forest green Glinda loved.  
"The color of every single one of your frocks clashes with my nightdresses. Your green doesn't. That's why I figured from now on you will be naked when I want to use you as a pillow," Glinda explained nonchalantly.  
Of course she couldn't care less what her roommate was wearing. But she thought if she saw Elphaba's green body the little voice in her head would finally shut up. Surely she wouldn't find something like that attractive!  
"But... Glinda...," Elphaba began but trailed off unable to come up with a counter argument.  
Glinda didn't respond. Instead she just looked at Elphaba with a stern gaze that showed she was totally serious about her order. Finally Elphaba's inner walls crumbled.  
Feeling utterly mortified but at the same time being unable to refuse the blonde's wishes she sat up and pulled her frock over her head. The green girl looked up to her roommate with an unsure gaze, fearing what she would see in the blonde's eyes. Glinda on the other hand gave away no sign of the joy she felt inside of her when the blush made its entrance. She also silenced the little worries she had over the almost fearful look in her roommate's eyes. Instead she looked at Elphaba haughtily.  
"Are you waiting for something? I said strip naked. Your underwear would surely scratch over my soft skin so get it off."  
She had to get the green girl to strip completely otherwise the voice would never shut up, Glinda was sure about that.  
Elphaba nodded barely noticeable and took her bra and her slip off too, now sitting completely naked on her bed. Instinctively she wanted to pull her knees to her chest to hide her body but an - albeit unusually quiet - "Stop" from Glinda was all it took for Elphaba to stay in her former position, sitting on her bed with her legs outstretched and a hesitant look directed at her roommate.  
Now Glinda felt like being in a dream. She had hardly noticed the word she had uttered being totally captivated by the beautiful sight before her. Her eyes trailed over the green body, starting at those seemingly endless legs, wandering to the triangle in-between them that Glinda's gaze skipped, feeling suddenly embarrassed. Higher her eyes went over a slim abdomen to two gorgeous breasts. Here the blonde's gaze was halted by two dark-green nipples. Glinda was sure she had never seen something so enchanting. Without realizing it she whispered "So beautiful..." in an amazed tone.  
Elphaba couldn't believe her ears. Had she heard right? Did Glinda really think her green body was beautiful? When the examination had begun Elphaba had felt embarrassed, being certain that the blonde would make fun of her or humiliate the green girl. Instead her normally bubbly roommate seemed in a daze, bedazzled by the view before her. Elphaba could feel the intense gaze of those blue eyes on her breasts. When she couldn't bare it anymore she raised her arms to cover up her upper body. For the first time she didn't blush because she was feeling embarrassed but because Glinda had - albeit unknowingly - complimented her.  
The moving arms brought Glinda out of her stupor. She blinked and seemed to return to reality. The gaze of wonder in her eyes was replaced by her usual haughty attitude.  
"How am I supposed to read when you're sitting like that? Get your arms down and spread your legs," Glinda commanded though some of her usual attitude seemed amiss. She became even unsurer when Elphaba didn't look at her embarrassedly as usual. Instead the green lips curled into a shy smile and the blonde felt like the movement with which her roommate's legs opened before her seemed almost... inviting?  
What had happened? Glinda couldn't grasp what exactly changed but somehow she was certain that something *had* changed.  
She decided to ignore the strange feeling she was getting and sat down between Elphaba's thighs with the usual magazine in her hands. Even before she could think about ordering it, two green arms went around her waist, gently pulling the blonde closer to the naked green body behind her. When Glinda felt the bare breasts pressing against her back she suddenly felt... embarrassed. The blush she wanted to see on Elphaba now flushed her own face. She hoped her green roommate wouldn't notice it and started reading.  
Elphaba felt that Glinda wasn't as slack as usual when lying in her arms. Normally the blonde would snuggle deep into the embrace and settle her magazine on Elphaba's hands. But now she sat there like a stone statue seemingly unable to relax. Softly but determinately the green arms tightened their grip around the small waist before them. There still was no change so Elphaba decided to be daring. She leaned forward a bit and placed her chin onto the blonde locks underneath.  
Glinda's whole body tensed and Elphaba began to worry if she had made a mistake. Then the tension suddenly seemed to be gone and without even turning around Glinda addressed her roommate.  
"Your chin is making my head ache, get it off and lean back," she demanded slightly gruffly and Elphaba complied smiling at the childlike tone her roommate had used. When she leaned back Glinda's body slid down a bit causing her head to rest onto the green breasts behind her. But instead of sitting up again Glinda finally snuggled deeper into her roommate's body and pretended to browse through her magazine.  
Elphaba was happy that everything was as it was supposed to be. Surely she was naked and still slightly embarrassed about that. But Glinda's compliment had erased most of her self-deprecating thoughts and instead filled her with a warm fuzzy feeling. She had known about her love for the blonde even before their little game had begun. Now being able to make Glinda happy - albeit with small things like getting coffee and dressing her - was like heaven for Elphaba. Every time she saw Glinda's shy but thankful gaze directed at her she felt the butterflies in her stomach going wild. For her this "thing" they were having could go on forever.  
Meanwhile, instead of reading Glinda thought hard about the green girl behind her. It had all started out as a mere accident but had changed quickly when Glinda had seen the gaze Elphaba had held in her eyes. It had intensified when the blush had appeared but not before she had seen Elphaba in all of her green glory everything else suddenly had become unimportant. She hadn't been able to think straight only one word had remained in her brain: "beautiful".  
Not before looking into Elphaba's eyes she had realized that something was amiss. Why hadn't the green girl looked embarrassed as she was supposed to? Instead she had given the blonde the cutest smile she had ever seen on her usually overly serious roommate. Had her staring given away part of the turmoil inside the socialite? What if Elphaba now assumed something like... Glinda being in love with her?  
The blonde internally shook her head at the mere assumption. Elphaba surely didn't think something like that for she wasn't interested in Glinda that way. And Glinda didn't love Elphaba anyway. She simply liked getting her coffee without doing anything for it. And seeing Elphaba blush. And being close to her. And feeling those green arms around her that seemed to protect her from the rest of the world. Yes, Glinda convinced herself, that was all there was to it. She just ordered the green girl around for her own entertainment. There was no deeper meaning and ultimately Elphaba wasn't interested in Glinda, the blonde was 100% certain.  
When this thought entered her mind she suddenly sat up straight, startling her living cushion.  
"Is something the matter, Glinda?" Elphaba asked being slightly worried. Normally she would hear the magazine being closed before her roommate moved in her arms.  
"No, Elphie. Everything's fine. But I think I'll go to bed," the blonde explained curtly and the green arms around her midriff loosened their grip immediately.  
"Oh okay... Well, good night, Glinda," Elphaba finally managed to get out while the blonde stood up and returned into her own bed.  
"Yeah, night Elphie," Glinda replied quietly, turned off her night light and lay down. Elphaba did the same but neither of them were able to sleep.  
The green girl wondered if she had done something wrong. Maybe she shouldn't have pulled her roommate that close to her? Maybe resting her chin on the blonde's head had been wrong? Should she apologize? But for what? Elphaba was at her wit's end.  
She loved the blonde madly but she also knew that it was Glinda's to decide if their little game would continue; she didn't have a say in this matter. With a mix between disappointment and worry Elphaba finally went to sleep.  
Meanwhile her blonde roommate's thoughts went around in circles as well. It seemed like she had bitten off more than she could chew. Seeing the green body before her had thrown her completely out of balance. She would have never guessed that simply gazing at her naked roommate would have such an impact on her.  
Should she stop ordering her roommate around? Or should she continue it? Was she even able to just go on as if nothing had happened? What if she spaced out like that again? Or worse, what if Elphaba didn't want to comply anymore because she had seen Glinda's weakness?  
On the one hand Glinda knew she didn't want to stop and - on a certain level - wouldn't be able to. But on the other hand she wasn't sure she could continue as usual. With those thoughts running wild in her brain she had a hard time finding sleep. Finally sheer exhaustion won and she fell into a dreamless slumber.

The next morning they both awoke without feeling very refreshed. Elphaba had been up earlier so she was already sitting completely ready on her bed and read a book when Glinda awoke. The blonde went into the bathroom and everything seemed normal at first to her green roommate. This changed however when Glinda returned and went to her wardrobe. She searched for clothes to wear but instead of undressing she took everything she needed and hurried back into the bathroom. Elphaba had looked up from her book discretely and couldn't help the disappointment that was visible on her face.  
She had come to like being ordered around; she felt close to Glinda when she dressed the blonde and did things for her. Also Glinda always smiled at her with this thankful gaze that had simply captivated Elphaba. Now she feared she would never see this look directed at her again.  
Elphaba's thoughts were interrupted by the opening bathroom door. Glinda went to her vanity, did her hair and left the room afterwards without even so much as glance at her roommate let alone talk to her.  
Elphaba sat there her head hung low. She let the book slide to her feet unnoticed and wrapped her arms around her legs. It seemed like whatever the two of them had had in the last weeks had now come to a sudden end. Surely she had been too pushy and Glinda had felt pressured when her green roommate had searched for this much body contact.  
She had one friend and she even managed to fuck this up, Elphaba scolded herself. But she knew it couldn't be helped. They would go back to ignoring each other like they had done at the beginning of their relationship. It shouldn't be that hard, should it? After all Elphaba was used to being alone all the time, surely now wouldn't be any different. But somehow Elphaba knew it wouldn't be that easy.  
Glinda didn't feel much better herself. When she had returned from the bathroom the first time she had been determined to continue ordering Elphaba around as if nothing had happened. But when the image of herself hardly dressed in front of Elphaba crossed her mind she suddenly felt embarrassed beyond compare. She had grabbed the first clothes she could find and had instantly fled back into the bathroom's safety.  
Now she stood outside her room without knowing what to do. Classes wouldn't start in another hour but she couldn't possibly stay in their room with Elphaba. Every time she just did so much as think about her roommate she remembered the naked green body and the look in those brown orbs and before Glinda even had time to realize it she felt herself blush at the memory. Determinately she shook her head to make the mental image go away. She had to stop thinking about Elphaba. The green girl was nothing more than a classmate, they happened to share a room and that was all there was to it. No attachment, no feelings and certainly no love on either side. Glinda repeated the mantra in her head but in the back of her mind there still was a small nagging voice that told a different story.

The next days were hard for both of them. Neither dared to talk to the other, too afraid that she would be rejected or ignored. They both missed the talking, the touches, the other's gazes but they stayed on their respective sides of the room, facing away from their roommate to avoid being detected.  
In the mornings Elphaba would hurry into the bathroom and out of it. She left the room even before Glinda awoke and went to the library to pass the time. Meanwhile Glinda would prepare herself for the day, always glancing at the empty bed beside her and wishing Elphaba was there.  
In classes they sat as far away from each other as possible with Elphaba in the first row and Glinda in the last. Even though she didn't talk to her green roommate anymore Glinda refused to talk to her former friends Pfannee and Shenshen as well so she was alone most of the time. Even Fiyero didn't dare to approach her anymore after she had been telling him off rudely.  
The evenings were the worst. They both sat on their respective beds, wishing for nothing more than to talk to the other girl, to laugh and smile. Instead they read quietly and went to bed early to avoid more awkward silences. But they didn't sleep well either.  
Elphaba wanted so much to talk to Glinda, apologize for whatever she had done wrong just so the blonde would start talking to her again. She would be content with her roommate just ordering her around but was denied even this bit of contact. But in the end she feared that Glinda wouldn't accept her apology; that she would yell at the green girl or even worse switch rooms with someone else. And as much as Elphaba hated the current silence, living with someone who wasn't Glinda was just flat out impossible for her. So she kept her mouth and heart shut, hoping for Glinda to make the first step.  
Glinda on the other hand was sure Elphaba avoided her because the blonde had shown weakness. She always depicted Elphaba as this strong, independent person and the only reason she had complied to her roommate's orders was because Glinda had shown a strong will. But this illusion had been shattered when she had seen the green girl naked and now Elphaba surely thought Glinda was fragile and weak.  
Of course she wouldn't let herself be ordered around by such a feeble person, Glinda was sure of it. She couldn't bring herself to even try to demand anything from her roommate, being too afraid she would be denied. Neither did she dare to talk to Elphaba anymore because she was certain her weakness would be noticeable in her voice and stance.

Over the next few weeks they both grew accustomed to their new situation. First they ignored each other almost completely. Glinda started talking to her former friends again including Fiyero after apologizing to him. This renewed friendship was also the reason for the first words Glinda said to Elphaba in almost a month's time.  
When she and Fiyero went to class they met Elphaba and Fiyero greeted her as usual. Automatically Glinda greeted the newcomer as well before she even had realized who stood before her. Elphaba looked slightly puzzled but returned the greeting albeit shyly. After this event they slowly started to acknowledge the other's presence again.

One day Elphaba changed her schedule a bit, causing her to still be in their room when Glinda awoke. When she just wanted to leave she heard the blonde girl stir. Elphaba turned around halfway to see Glinda watching her with an unrecognizable look in her eyes.  
"Good morning, Gli- Miss Glinda," Elphaba managed to choke out and quickly opened the door. Before she closed it she heard Glinda muttering "Good morning to you too, El- Miss Elphaba."  
After these words Elphaba went towards the library as usual. But in her heart a small hope was planted. They had come past the stage of ignoring each other. Surely Elphaba had been too hesitant to call Glinda by her first name without an honorific but for her it was a good start.  
Glinda wasn't as happy as Elphaba. On the one hand of course she was glad the green girl at least had talked to her. But the switch to being addressed as "Miss Glinda" was enough evidence for her that Elphaba didn't want to reestablish their former connection. Glinda was sad about this to say the least but it was a start she still cherished.  
They formed a kind of polite routine. They would greet each other in the morning and didn't shy away from every random body contact. When they returned to their room in the afternoon or evening they would shortly nod to each other in acknowledgement.

Almost painfully slowly they started to interact more. It began one evening.  
Elphaba was already in their room, doing her homework when Glinda entered. The blonde slumped down on her bed and let out an exhausted sigh. Her roommate looked up from her books and watched her. Glinda seemed to be beyond tired but the look she gave the documents beside her indicated that she still had work to do.  
Spontaneously Elphaba got up from her bed and left the room. Glinda gazed after her roommate but soon turned to her work again. A short time later the door opened and Elphaba returned carrying two cups of coffee. She put the one with 3 cubes of sugar on the saucer on Glinda's night table and went to her own desk afterwards, putting her cup down too. Then she resumed working as if nothing had happened.  
Glinda's look switched between the cup of coffee beside her and her roommate. Finally she smiled shyly and muttered a small "Thank you" before starting to do her homework as well. She didn't see how Elphaba's lips curled into a light smile. Maybe there was still hope for their friendship.  
Bit by bit they became more open. They talked about small stuff like the weather or homework. At first they both talked in a low voice, still partly afraid that the other one would shy away if they were too assertive or too pushing. After a few loud laughs from both of them about some random topics they dared to talk in a normal volume, just like they did before.  
They still addressed each other with an honorific but their intercourse became warmer, heartier. Both hoped to their heart's content that they would manage to interact like they had done all those weeks ago and they thought they were - albeit slowly - getting there.

It was another evening roughly two months after the incident when Glinda was the first to be in their room while Elphaba still was in the library. The blonde knew that her roommate still had work to do even after the library's closing time. So she decided to be the good roommate for once and get coffee. She went to the cafeteria and returned shortly after.  
When she opened the door she saw that Elphaba still hadn't returned. Carefully she carried the two cups to the green girl's desk. When she wanted to set down the one for her roommate the door was suddenly flung open with a crash. Glinda flinched causing both cups in her hands to topple over, break and pour their contents over Elphaba's documents and books. Immediately Glinda began to panic.  
"Oh no, Elphaba I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to do this, it wasn't on purpose or out of malice please believe me, I would never do something like this to you. Oh god I'm so sorry, how can one person be so clumsy? I'm so, so sorry Elphaba..."  
Glinda ranted on and on not even realizing that she had dropped the honorific. She was afraid that her roommate would hate her, that they would once again ignore each other or worse and she absolutely didn't want that to happen. While talking she tried to dry Elphaba's desk with her hanky - of course a pointless action. When Glinda realized this as well all strength seemed to leave her as she slid to the floor, kneeling there with her head in her hands and crying but still mumbling apologies to Elphaba.  
The green girl was too shocked at first. She had been in a bad mood because she had had a heated discussion with one of the librarians. Now she saw the mess she had accidently caused. Of course she didn't blame Glinda, the blonde had just tried to be nice. First Elphaba wanted to wait until her roommate would calm down. But when she saw Glinda on her knees and crying she couldn't restrain herself anymore. Elphaba went in front of the wailing girl and bent down, laying her hands on Glinda's shoulders in a comforting manner.  
"Hey Glinda, it's okay. It was just coffee, nothing serious. Also it's been mostly library books I'll explain it to the librarians in the morning, it will be alright, trust me," she assured the blonde.  
Glinda looked up at Elphaba with puffy eyes and a totally miserable expression.  
"But your notes, all your work, it's gone. I- I'm so sorry Elphaba I-" she wanted to start anew but was silenced when Elphaba gently lay her index finger on the rosy lips before her.  
"Glinda. It's okay. Really," Elphaba insisted with a confident tone before slowly taking her finger away again. The blonde looked up to her roommate in her eyes a mix between desperation and hope.  
"Really?" she barely managed to choke out.  
"Really," Elphaba simply answered and smiled reassuringly. Glinda seemed to take some time to process the information. Then - before Elphaba had time to understand what was happening - Glinda stretched upward and hugged her effusively, crying into the green shoulder.  
Elphaba kneeled down completely and wrapped her arms around the shivering body that was pressed against her. Gently she rubbed her hands up and down Glinda's back and muttered soothing words to calm her roommate down.  
It seemed like every feeling Glinda had bottled up recently wanted to surface at the same time. She wasn't crying about the coffee anymore but their time apart, her unrequited feelings and everything they both had had to endure these last weeks.  
Finally Elphaba's efforts were rewarded when Glinda's breathing became slower and the quivering slowly subsided. Glinda felt totally at peace. Now, after all this time of separation she was able to feel her roommate's lean body against her again, feel those strong arms around her that protected her from the world. She sniffed slightly and smelled the oils Elphaba used for bathing. Everything was simply perfect for her, she had her Elphaba back.  
Suddenly Glinda realized what she was thinking. Elphaba was certainly NOT hers! Thoughts like this were what had caused the rift between them in the first place! Almost panic-struck she scooted away from the green girl missing the other body's warmth immediately. She wanted to stand up and get to her bed but was stopped abruptly when something grabbed her wrist. She looked down and saw Elphaba kneeling before her with a pleading expression in her eyes.  
"Where are you going, what's wrong?" she inquired urgently. She had felt how Glinda had suddenly tensed and backed away from her. Shortly she had thought about letting the blonde go but she just couldn't go on like this anymore.  
"I'm just- I- nothing's wrong, I wanted to clean the mess I caused, nothing else. Really, it's okay," Glinda stuttered nervously and tugged lightly at her arm to signal Elphaba to release it but the green girl for once didn't comply.  
"You're lying," she stated seriously and Glinda's tugging stopped while the blonde's eyes once again showed a miserable gaze. Elphaba's demeanor softened immediately not wanting to make her roommate feel uncomfortable.  
"Please Glinda, talk to me," Elphaba began. Then she loosened her grip around the blonde's wrist, laying her hands in her lap and looking down, too afraid to look into Glinda's face as she continued.  
"Look Glinda, I know I've been a terrible roommate. I've never even apologized for this thing two months ago."  
At this point Elphaba raised her head and her voice became more assertive.  
"But I'm doing it now. I'm truly sorry that I threw myself at you like this and made you feel pressured. That really wasn't my intention and I'm sorry about the way I treated you afterwards. I was simply too afraid to talk to you, I didn't want you to feel uncomfortable or make you hate me and ultimately... switch rooms," Elphaba concluded, the last two words barely above a whisper. She averted her gaze again, too afraid what she would see in the other girl's eyes.  
Glinda looked down at her roommate totally flabbergasted. Elphaba apologized? What for? It had all been the blonde socialite's mistake, hadn't it? So why was her roommate - who had done nothing wrong as far as Glinda was concerned - kneeling before her and obviously feeling miserable?  
"Gl-Glinda? Could you maybe... say something?" the green girl choked out, her gaze still locked to the ground.  
The question brought Glinda out of her stupor. She kneeled down right before Elphaba and gently cupped a green cheek causing her roommate to hesitantly raise her head. When she looked into Glinda's eyes she saw tears glistening in them. But they held such an appreciation Elphaba could hardly believe it.  
"I don't- I mean, you don't-I, I..." Glinda began to stutter. Then she took a deep breath and started anew.  
"Why are you apologizing when I was the one who had been a terrible roommate? I treated you like a servant, god even like an object and you not even once objected and always did what I wanted. I don't deserve your apology, I don't deserve being near you and feeling so safe in your arms every time they hold me. I'm so sorry that I made you..." at this point she choked and barely managed to say the next words, "...strip naked and used you as a pillow, I didn't want to humiliate you, I just..." she trailed off, unable to continue and tell Elphaba the true reasoning behind her actions. Before she could continue, Elphaba interrupted her, putting her own hand atop of Glinda's on the green cheek.  
"Glinda? Do you really think you would have been able to make me do all of this if not at least a part of me wanted to do it? I felt closer to you, when I brought you coffee or your favorite sweets. You always looked at me with this thankful gaze and your eyes sparkled so contently every time you took your first bite or sip. For me it felt like I... was able to make you happy, even with such small things," Elphaba explained hesitantly. She lowered their intertwined hands into her lap and made a small break to get her thoughts in order.  
"You did," Glinda whispered, lying her other hand ontop of Elphaba's and the green girl looked up in surprise as Glinda continued.  
"Make me happy, that is. Not because of the stuff you brought but because of the look in your eyes. I always thought they showed care and... affection for me. And of course I'm well aware that this was only my imagination but still-"  
"It wasn't," Elphaba suddenly interrupted Glinda assertively. Then she realized how loud her voice had been and couldn't help it - she blushed.  
"I mean I-I..." the green girl stammered but was interrupted when Glinda suddenly leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her roommate's lips. The blonde had seen the blush and at once her mind had gone blank. Without thinking about it she had followed the feelings that had bubbled up inside her at the sight of the treacherous green shade.  
Elphaba's eyes went wide when she felt pink lips on her own green ones. But she adjusted quickly, closed her eyes and kissed back, chaste but with all the feelings she had for her blonde roommate.  
When they separated they looked at each other hesitantly, afraid if the other one felt the same. They both took a deep breath to calm down as well as building up the courage for their next words.  
"I love you, Glinda."  
"I love you, Elphie."  
They had talked at the same time. When they realized what the other one had just said their eyes grew wide and they looked at each other in astonishment.  
"You... do?" Elphaba asked, regaining her composure slightly faster than Glinda.  
"Yes, but I never thought you felt the same. That's why I wanted to see you naked, you know?" she admitted shyly. When she saw the confusion in her roommate's face Glinda elaborated.  
"Well I thought if I saw your green body that I would just... fall out of love or something like that."  
She saw how Elphaba's gaze grew hurt and hurried to continue.  
"It was a stupid idea, really! I already loved your green face, why would your whole body be any different? And I guess the way I reacted showed how wrong my assumption was..."  
"You called me beautiful," Elphaba stated in a shy voice and Glinda looked at her in surprise.  
"I did? I don't even remember saying anything to you... I was too captivated by the gorgeous sight before me," Glinda explained and looked at Elphaba with a mix between deep love and the light embarrassment she felt over her confession. Contently she saw the hurt in the brown orbs before her being replaced by affection and... love. Finally she had her Elphaba.  
"My Elphie," Glinda whispered without clearly realizing it and reached up to cup the green cheeks in front of her with both hands. She leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Elphaba's dark green lips. Gently the green girl wrapped her arms around her roommate's waist and returned the kiss happily.  
When Glinda leaned even further forward they suddenly heard a small clank. The girls broke their kiss and both turned to look behind the blonde. There they saw the two broken cups together with the now partly dried coffee stains. They giggled lightly at the sight.  
"Maybe we should clean this mess up," Elphaba suggested with a smile and Glinda nodded in agreement.  
"Elphie? When we're finished with cleaning..." Glinda began hesitantly, "could you maybe get us two new cups of coffee from the cafeteria?"  
Elphaba blinked shortly then laughed out loud before she kissed Glinda again eagerly and nodded.  
"Of course, anything for you, my love," she responded tenderly and wanted to stand up. A little tug on her wrist caused her to look at the girl she loved.  
"Can I accompany you?" Glinda asked with a shy smile.  
"Always, my sweet," Elphaba answered and pulled Glinda up to her before engaging her in another kiss.


End file.
